for lying about the technology that made her a billionaire. and six years after his death — david bowie�*s estate sells his entire catalogue of songs for more than 250 million dollars. lawyers for prince andrew will today try to convince a new yorkjudge to throw out a civil case brought by a woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. the duke has consistently denied the claims. it follows the release of a document that shows the woman, virginia giuffre was paid half—a—million dollars in exchange for agreeing not to sue any �*potential defendent�* connected to the disgraced sex offenderjeffrey epstein. here's our legal correspondent dominic casciani. a woman making the gravest of allegations. the unprecedented defendant, a prince of the realm. and now, a day of critical court hearings for both virginia giuffre and the duke of york. she says she was sexually exploited by the man on the right, jeffrey epstein. ms giuffre, then known as roberts, said epstein coerced the then teenager into abuse by prince andrew. alleged events 20 years ago, but today's new york hearing focuses on the 2009 legal document. back then, ms giuffre, seen here at court in new york, accepted $500,000 to end her original case against epstein. in the settlement, virginia giuffre agreed to release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge epstein from further claims. the wording goes on to cover any other person who could have been a potential defendant. it's so wide, she promises not to bring any further case dating from the beginning of the world. prince andrew's lawyers say that means he can't be sued. but one lawyer who's represented some of epstein�*s alleged victims says it's too vague to be enforceable. this is one of the most bizarre pieces of a settlement agreement i have ever seen. i just cannot believe that a court would say, well, anyone who has wronged virginia, who was associated with epstein, is now released from liability. i mean, that would fly in the face of what our laws are now trying to do, which is open up claims for sexual abuse victims, allow them to come forward even years later, and bring perpetrators to justice. the duke's position remains unchanged since his november 2019 newsnight interview. you can say categorically that you don't recall meeting virginia roberts, dining with her, dancing with her at tramp, or going on to have sex with her in a bedroom in a house in belgravia? yes, i can absolutely categorically tell you that never happened. do you recall any kind of sexual contact with virginia roberts then or at any other time? none whatsoever. this afternoon, prince andrew's team will ask a new yorkjudge to throw out ms giuffre�*s case. her lawyers say she is confident that won't happen and one way or another, the duke will have to answer her allegations. dominic casciani, bbc news. let's now speak to lucia osborne—crowley, she is a reporter covering courts and the law for legal news service law360 — she has been following the case. thank you forjoining us. tell us more about the arguments that will be hard around this agreement between virginia giuffre and jeffrey epstein and the implications for prince andrew. figs epstein and the implications for prince andrew.— epstein and the implications for prince andrew. �* , ., ., prince andrew. as we heard, a lime wedue in prince andrew. as we heard, a lime wedge in the _ prince andrew. as we heard, a lime wedge in the settlement _ prince andrew. as we heard, a lime i wedge in the settlement agreement that was unsealed yesterday as very, very broad and it is very, very vague. so that means a couple of things. 0n the plain reading of those words, we just heard, this releases all potential defendants for ever from any claims brought by virginia giuffre but, because those words are so broad and so vague, it means there is an argument to be had here because on the one hand, of course, prince andrew's lawyers will argue that those words apply to everyone and therefore apply to prince andrew but this would be a very alarming outcome from a legal perspective if you could essentially contract out of ever being able to bring a claim against anyone in the courts until the end of time. that would be very surprising. so there is one question about what the language means and that is what is prince andrew's lawyers will be focusing on and another question about four that are close like this is enforceable by the courts and thatis is enforceable by the courts and that is what virginia giuffre's lawyers will be focusing on. and, you know, there is a strong argument that a clause like this should not be enforceable firstly because it is so vague on the other argument here is that a settlement agreement under the law is a private contract in the contract is between virginia giuffre and jeffrey epstein. prince andrew did not sign a document or is not even named in the document so there's an argument to say this private agreement cannot be enforced against a third party unless he receives in legal terms some kind of consideration for the contract which he didn't because it was not involved in this at the time. on the other argument of course that virginia giuffre's lawyers could make is this time potential defendant. that reads very broadly but legally there are two interpretations of that phrase. 0ne interpretations of that phrase. one is any potential defendant of any cause of action ever and the other is a potential defendant of the precise allegation in the lawsuit brought by virginia giuffre against jeffrey epstein in 2009 and of course we don't know what that document says. the actual lawsuit itself. arguably, if that document does not mention prince andrew which we can assume it doesn't, you could argue that he is not a potential defendant in that specific action so those are the two arguments you'll hearin those are the two arguments you'll hear in court today. i think the main takeaway is that there is definitely an argument to be had here. this is not a clear... there is no clear answer to this. there is no way to say the judge will go one way or the other. it is open for him to make another decision and it depends which argument he is more legally drawn to and more drawn to from a public policy perspective. how quickly should we get the verdict? . , ., ., , , ., verdict? that is an open question. with an issue _ verdict? that is an open question. with an issue like _ verdict? that is an open question. with an issue like this _ verdict? that is an open question. with an issue like this i _ verdict? that is an open question. with an issue like this i imagine i verdict? that is an open question. with an issue like this i imagine a| with an issue like this i imagine a judge would want to take some time. there are cases in interim hearings like this where a judge will give a ruling straightaway in of the court. that is possible. i doubt it. i think you probably reserved his judgment and take a few days to think about it and read through all the president because, you know, thisjudge knows the president because, you know, this judge knows that the world is watching this decision and he knows how significant it will be for the sexual abuse allegation and also that this could set a really important precedent in terms of private settlements, nondisclosure agreements, how these civil agreements, how these civil agreements play into a kind of later allegations of sexual abuse so he knows i think how important this is and i expect he will take some time to and i expect he will take some time t. ., ~ and i expect he will take some time to were talking specifically in the heafina to were talking specifically in the hearing about — to were talking specifically in the hearing about prince _ to were talking specifically in the hearing about prince andrew - to were talking specifically in the - hearing about prince andrew because it is his lawyers who are bringing this argument but presumably there are implications for others in this. exactly. and that is the other really, really important thing to remember is that there were so many potential co—conspirators that have been named in the maxwell trial that we had over the past few weeks, many names thrown out there. and those people will be very interested to see what the outcome of this particular hearing is because it will tell them if it might be possible at some point for someone to bring civil action against them relating to this conspiracy in these claims. it is important, i think, to remember, as well, that virginia giuffre has in the past successfully sued ghislaine maxwell. they settle that case in 2017. so we don't know if this argument was raised and that hearing but we know that if it was raised it was overruled because virginia virginia giuffre was allowed to sue ghislaine maxwell. that's an important thing to consider as well.— that's an important thing to consider as well. . ~ , ., . consider as well. thank you so much for “oininu consider as well. thank you so much forjoining us- _ consider as well. thank you so much forjoining us. thank _ consider as well. thank you so much forjoining us. thank you _ consider as well. thank you so much forjoining us. thank you for - consider as well. thank you so much forjoining us. thank you for having l forjoining us. thank you for having me. thank you for having me. millions of pupils across the uk are back to school today and over the next couple of days, amid concerns about staff shortages caused by the 0micron variant of covid. in england, secondary school students will have to take tests on—site before they can start their lessons as jayne mccubbin reports. for secondary school children this week, it is back to the classroom. back to masks, and in england at least, it will all kick off with a covid test on arrival in school. for ethan and louis, though, this is one last blow out before that begins. how are you feeling about it? a bit nervous. in my form, probably about, like, ten kids off at least. what, before christmas? yeah, yeah. how do you feel about wearing the masks again? well, ifeel like now i've gotten used to it, i don't think i'd mind it as much if you have a comfortable mask. it obviously protects other people, doesn't it? you're happy to do it? yeah, yeah. the gates of this school, like all other secondary schools in england, will this week starts to open for mass testing. it's one of ten schools in an academy chain which already has a staffing issue. as of one hour ago, 10% of staff who have tested positive for covid. and that is a big chunk, and you think it's going to rise? it will rise, probably another 5%. in scotland, pupils are being asked to test at home before they return to school and are being urged to then test twice a week. in wales, it's the same, preschool home test. but repeated three times a week. students in northern ireland are being asked to test 2a hours before returning as well. and there, 95% of schools have been provided with c02 monitors to identify poorly ventilated areas. ultimately, the government believes the biggest help anyone could offer is to take up the offer of a vaccine. 0ns figures suggest only 50% of eligible 12 to 15—year—olds have done this. just how this new term in this new year will pan out looks anything but certain. jayne mccubbin, bbc news. joining me now is tom richmond who is the founder and director of the non—partisan edsk think tank, former teacher and government advisor. he is also a former teacher and government adviser. thank you so much forjoining us. what are your thoughts as schools go back? it is a very difficult — thoughts as schools go back? it is a very difficult time. _ thoughts as schools go back? it is a very difficult time. if— thoughts as schools go back? it is a very difficult time. if i _ thoughts as schools go back? it is a very difficult time. if i were - thoughts as schools go back? it is a very difficult time. if i were still - very difficult time. if i were still in the classroom i'd be very nervous right now. i cut covid a few days ago so i would be yet another one of those teachers who are simply not able to turn up to work at the moment and of course this was a problem that we had before christmas. we already had schools suffering 10%, 20% absence rates among the staff and will now see pupils and staff testing again and that might mean even more staff trough being out and that the moment the government is producing some new guidance that schools really need resources and support because they know what needs to be done. they've already been practising it before christmas and the skill of the challenges is just going christmas and the skill of the challenges isjust going up moment. watch of the resources and support you would suggest and if schools do find themselves with a shortfall of “p find themselves with a shortfall of up to 20% staff as they were experiencing previously, how can i plug the gaps?— plug the gaps? obviously some schools can _ plug the gaps? obviously some schools can speak— plug the gaps? obviously some schools can speak to _ plug the gaps? obviously some schools can speak to supply - plug the gaps? obviously some - schools can speak to supply teaching agencies and the government has been trying to get former teachers back into the classroom as well but the truth is that as a measure that will only produce a few extra teachers over the next few weeks. schools need help right now as of this week as week as soon as pupils are coming back. the government has tried to make some changes to give schools a little bit more support. 0fsted inspections of schools have been cancelled for this week but they're going to be starting again next week when schools and pupils are going to be struggling to get up to speed and some might have had to switch to online learning at very short notice so for me i know a lot of teaching unions have been saying the same thing. why are we having inspectors going into schools to check the quality of education when quite frankly right as we have just been hearing pupils and staff getting tested right now to make sure they can get back to school are surely got to be the priority. let's leave some things for later this month. what about ventilation? 7000 ventilation units funded by the government. is that enough? is it the right strategy? what are your thoughts? the the right strategy? what are your thou . hts? , ., the right strategy? what are your thou . hts? ,., ., , thoughts? the government are trying to net those thoughts? the government are trying to get those ventilation _ thoughts? the government are trying to get those ventilation years - thoughts? the government are trying to get those ventilation years and - to get those ventilation years and those schools which have poorly ventilated areas. if you can imagine we have got millions of people is turning back up again. hundreds of thousands of questions in this country. 7000 feels like a pretty low number and there have been complaints that ventilation was known to be a problem even the later of last year so why are we still having this conversation about ventilation units when this has been known for a long time that better ventilated areas can help. yes, ventilated areas can help. yes, ventilated units are welcome. i don't think they're going to be now but more importantly we've got to look at a much bigger picture such as the vaccination rate as we have just been hearing again. they're still stuck in terms of 12—18 —year—olds at 55% vaccination rates of 18—year—olds getting their first days. in france that is 80%. in spain it is 19% so if you want to solve this problem and give schools the support they need in the space they need to do theirjob we have got to be attacking it from was a different front. ventilation, vaccination and giving schools the funding they need as well. going back to teacher _ funding they need as well. going back to teacher shortages - funding they need as well. going back to teacher shortages and i funding they need as well. going back to teacher shortages and what could be done to mitigate that, do you have any thoughts around when people should be released from isolation if they test positive, particularly in key areas like teaching? in the united states it has been reduced to five days if there is a negative test. if you are asymptomatic and you test you don't necessarily know which number of days it is since you have had it so do you think there could be scope to shift the boundaries here? you might think the education secretary has been very clear. he trying to find ways of moving the system in favour of teaching the schools at the moment. he's looking for small wins. ventilation units. they are not going to be now that they may make a small difference. trying to get former teachers back the classroom i'd not been up it might make a small offence. and yet at these incremental gains it is possible some heads and some teachers may just have a bit more support so what you're saying is absolutely right. the government will be looking at that as he is there a small gain they can make in terms of keeping teachers in the classroom at the moment? the moment the government guidance is you to think of it online learning or even combining classes so that one teacher teaches two classes at the same time. these are the sorts of situations that schools are facing right now and they have had some practice last term but to be coming back to brand your town with all the testing that we have been hearing about and all the additional challenges maybe vaccinations will start to play a part as well. there is another word for head teachers to government to be aboutjuggle. the government needs to make sure they can get all the support even if it is just small changes right now. the support even if it is just small changes right now. the labour leader sir keir starmer has sought to capitalise on his party's recent bounce in the opinion polls —with a speech setting out his vision for goverment. he told an audience in birmingham that the conservatives have lost the trust of voters — but warned that the labour party still needs to work to earn that trust. it was a speech about values. tell us more. �* . ~' it was a speech about values. tell us more. �* ., ~ ., ,., ., us more. i'm talking to some of the audience here _ us more. i'm talking to some of the audience here who _ us more. i'm talking to some of the audience here who are _ us more. i'm talking to some of the audience here who are mainly - us more. i'm talking to some of the| audience here who are mainly made us more. i'm talking to some of the . audience here who are mainly made up of labour mps and what they feel is that being in the opposition during a pandemic, during a national crisis has had some problems of its own. getting their own point if you put a cross without sounding as if they are constantly criticising the government, trying to support them at some has been quite challenging for them. they now feel is they feel the jaw are slightly ajar inverters may be giving labour another chance, listening to what they have to say and so, as you say, some recent opinion poll suggesting that labour might be had for the first time in a while. they want to really seize that opportunity and what this wasn't was a speech which was heavy on policy detail. that has not happened yet and there will be many voters watching this and thinking, well, i want to know specifically what they are going to do. what he is doing a talk about values, about how a government led by him would lead to, what values they would bring to that and he talked about straight leadership under contract with the british people. bit straight leadership under contract with the british people.— with the british people. bit and i want is a country _ with the british people. bit and i want is a country which - with the british people. bit and i want is a country which those . with the british people. bit and i l want is a country which those who contribute — want is a country which those who contribute get something back. because — contribute get something back. because 2022 is also the first year in which _ because 2022 is also the first year in which we — because 2022 is also the first year in which we tackle some really big challenges. repairing after the pandemic, combating the climate crisis. _ pandemic, combating the climate crisis, making brexit work. i believe _ crisis, making brexit work. i believe that the best still lies ahead — believe that the best still lies ahead for this country. but only if we have _ ahead for this country. but only if we have the courage to create a new betting _ we have the courage to create a new betting a _ we have the courage to create a new betting. a country in which you and your family— betting. a country in which you and your family get the security, the prosperity and the respect that you deserve _ prosperity and the respect that you deserve. my contract with the british— deserve. my contract with the british people will set out how we can create — british people will set out how we can create that new britain. if you have seen — can create that new britain. if you have seen any _ can create that new britain. if you have seen any of— can create that new britain. if you have seen any of his _ can create that new britain. if you have seen any of his speeches - have seen any of his speeches recently you will notice that the union flag is often propped up behind him. it talks about patriotism and he talks about decency. he talks about competence. labour strategists think that boris johnson has been damaged with allegations of partying in number ten. they think that criticism of one rule for the government had a different one for everyone else, they do think that is hitting home and that is what they are trying to get out here. sarah kier starmer presenting himself as a leader who would approach things very differently and the question for labour is they know there is a huge decline, borisjohnson has a healthy majority of 80 mps. labour have to get back on some of those places. some of them near here like west bromwich, for example, voters turned their back on labour last time around. the strategy since he became leader was first of all to sort out internal party disputes, really and lots of people may not notice that happening but there are some mps who say he has done that well. but now it is time to turn out what's more, to speak to voters, more specifically, that is what they in the coming year.— specifically, that is what they in the coming year. thank you very much, the coming year. thank you very much. vicky- — sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. england bowler stuart broad has been recalled for the fourth ashes test — he replaces 0lli robinson, who has a minor shoulder problem, in the only change to the side. it's been a tricky build—up — they're missing their head coach chris silverwood, both bowling coaches, their strength and conditiong coach, who're all isolating because of covid, even the media manager has stepped in to help out with training. england assistant coach graham thorpe described broad and ben stokes as "caged tigers", saying he hoped they would channel their frustration into the match. broad has only played in one of the three tests so far, and he claimed the mood in the camp was low — but thorpe says they're just getting on with it. we have managed, we have managed. and also, in many ways, players have to take responsibility for themselves, as well. some of those guys who aren't actually playing and are not in the squad. i have encouraged them. people can go down ill. it is probably like when i started, my england career. there weren't as many coaches around. and being resourceful for yourself and getting your team—mates to help you out, as well, is what you require, is important. australia captain pat cummins is sympathetic to england's situation, but at the same time, he's happy to capitalise on it. i think they have sacrificed quite a lot to come over here. a couple of weeks quarantine, the time away from families, some restrictions on what they can do as opposed to pre—pandemic. and i think they are having some positive cases. the coach being away from this has been really tough for them so we're just really tough for them so we're just really thankful they are out here, you know, it is part of the series. in terms of the cricket side of things i couldn't be happier with how it is going for us. we've been on the other side of it before so it is not going to be like that forever so we will enjoy it while we can. novak djokovic says he will be defending his australian open title, ending months of speculation. he'd refused to reveal his vaccination status and every player at the event has to be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption. djokovic announced on social media he was "heading down under with an exemption permission", so that would suggest he hasn't been jabbed, but has satisfied the authorities that there are valid reasons for that. andy murray lost his first match of 2022, an error—strewn three—set defeat to the world number 76 facundo bagnis at the melbourne summer series event. he'd hoped for a decent run ahead of the first grand slam of the season, after reaching the final of an exhibition event in abu dhabi last month. some of murray's fellow—britons are playing in the atp cup in sydney — and after inspiring his team to victory over germany at the weekend, dan evans got them off to a great start against canada, beating denis shapo—valov in straight sets in the opening match . but british number one cameron norrie was beaten and then jamie murray and joe salisbury lost the doubles tie, so they'll be struggling to make the semi—finals. it's always a raucous atmosphere, with big money on the table for the winner, and that half a million pound check went to peter "snakebite " wright at the pdc world darts championship at alexandra palace. he is an unmistakeable character.. and it was a thrilling final against michael "the bully boy" smith — the lead kept changing hands and wright was actually surprised to win it — his experience allowed him to take advantage of some costly mistakes by his opponent, who was devasted. wright said smith would definitely be taking world titles soon. that's all the sport for now. her company at one point valued at 9 billion dollars — but now elizabeth holmes has been found guilty of fraud and conspiracy following a four—month trial in california and awaits her sentence. the founder of the discredited blood testing company, theranos was accused of lying to investors and retail customers by overstating what the firm's machines were capable of and the accuracy of its tests. our technology correspondent james clayton reports we'd like to see a world in which every person gets access to this type of basic testing. elizabeth holmes had a vision that turned her into a billionaire — that she could create a machine that she called the edison that could detect hundreds of diseases with just a few drops of blood. the pitch convinced some very important people. media tycoon rupert murdoch invested, bill clinton was a fan. behind me are theranos's former head offices. very plush, very expensive and in the heart of silicon valley. and the great and the good came to visit theranos. evenjoe biden came to california and heaped praise on the company. success seemed inevitable. this is my certificate for theranos, showing my shares and it was actually signed by elizabeth holmes. so, it's kind of a bit of history? it really is. a sad bit of history, but history nevertheless. eileen lepera was a secretary in silicon valley. she heard about this amazing new company. my boss had indicated that it was going to be, in his words, "the next apple" and that i should get as many shares as i could, and so i did. it was six figures, which was a large amount for me. what eileen didn't know was that the dream elizabeth holmes if was selling was a nightmare. the technology didn't work, but investors like eileen had no idea. elizabeth was in stealth mode, so that we had no idea whether it was going well or was on the brink of collapse. the retail giant walgreens had a contract with theranos to diagnose patients with its machines. however, the court heard that theranos wasn't using its edison machines, but was instead using openly available diagnostic equipment. the courts also heard that some patients had been misdiagnosed. i just really resent that somebody would make such a massive fraud, especially when so many people told her this isn't working. elizabeth holmes has argued at trial that she had always attempted to create a genuine product that worked and that she never intended to commit fraud. what happened behind those closed doors has led to a lot of introspection here in silicon valley. but there's still a culture of faking it till you make it here, and until that changes, people worry that what happened in theranos could happen again. james clayton, bbc news. let's speak to the technology journalist charles arthur. it is an extraordinary story from start to finish, isn't it? i it is an extraordinary story from start to finish, isn't it?- it is an extraordinary story from start to finish, isn't it? i found a uuote start to finish, isn't it? i found a quote from _ start to finish, isn't it? i found a quote from a — start to finish, isn't it? i found a quote from a letter _ start to finish, isn't it? i found a quote from a letter that - start to finish, isn't it? i found a quote from a letter that she - start to finish, isn't it? i found a l quote from a letter that she wrote when she was nine years old to her father when she said what she really wanted out of life is to discover something new, something mankind did not know was possible to do. how much a fan site is that given to her outlook? i much a fan site is that given to her outlook? , , , , ., .., outlook? i guess she you can actually brings _ outlook? i guess she you can actually brings the _ outlook? i guess she you can actually brings the can - outlook? i guess she you can actually brings the can valley| outlook? i guess she you can - actually brings the can valley down from $9 billion of valuation and zero in the course ofjust a couple of years. because the thing about what she was trying to do. the hope that she had been to set the company up that she had been to set the company up in 2003 was that essentially she could do a run around biology. human biology is incredibly complicated but she thought about taking a few drops of blood she would be able to do up to 200 diagnostic tests on blood and all sorts of things, detecting cancer detecting all sorts of different variations on the body. the fact they could do 12 and even that was a bit hopeful. the reality is that bail biologyjust can't be fooled in the same way. whereas if you take a company set up at the same time like facebook, that has gone from strength to strength because you can tweak a web page and the sea and change it times a day she liked but if you're trying to build a blood testing machine that is incredibly difficult. you have to be so precise and you have to understand so much about the biology that if you get it even slightly wrong you're going to be in a dead end very quickly. the wrong you're going to be in a dead end very quickly-— wrong you're going to be in a dead end very quickly. the prospect of it bein: end very quickly. the prospect of it being something _ end very quickly. the prospect of it being something that _ end very quickly. the prospect of it being something that would - end very quickly. the prospect of it being something that would work. end very quickly. the prospect of it| being something that would work is something highly seductive in so many people, high profile people invested huge amounts of money in that business. in the hope that it will be transformative if it worked. going forward what will the impact of this be in terms of people stumping up cash to put behind something that sounds like a brilliant prospect. so, i don't think there's going to be a shortage of rich people looking for somewhere to make more money. but i suspect there will be —— they will be more cautious about going into areas where they are not very sure that the returns can be found. and biotech, biotechnology is one of those difficult ones. even though we have seen with the success of vaccines, those have taken many years, decades, to come through. the nra technology we are using in those vaccines. you can see there is lots of money instead being taught into things like cryptocurrency, because there is no challenge of biology, there is no challenge of biology, there is no challenge of biology, there is no challenge even of hardware, it is all purely done with software. i suspect we will see a lot less attempts to change the world. at least elizabeth holmes did want to change the world in a positive way, just wasn't that the world was accommodating. we will see more money poured into things which essentially aren't actually going to add any utility to the world.- add any utility to the world. thank ou ve add any utility to the world. thank you very much. — add any utility to the world. thank you very much, charles _ add any utility to the world. thank you very much, charles arthur. i now it's time for a look at the weather, let's cross the newsroom to matt taylor. frequent snow showers in the north of scotland coupled with severe gale force winds, hazardous travel conditions through the rest of the day. sleet and snow. at the moment, a mixture of rain turning to sleet in the south—east corner. pushing away the last of the mild air. forthose pushing away the last of the mild air. for those of you who want to work with temperatures of 8 or 9 degrees, this is what it will feel like heading towards this evening. well below freezing across most areas. tonight, the winds will remain strong but it will ease a little. most showers in the north of scotland and some towards the west. it could lead to icy conditions for some to take us into tomorrow morning with temperatures at or below freezing in most parts. tomorrow, most will be like this afternoon, lots of sunshine but not as many snow showers in the north of scotland, one or two flurries and some on the eastern coasts. dry and sunny wednesday feeling cold but not quite as cold as this afternoon. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: a day of critical court hearings for prince andrew and virginia guiffre — his lawyers in new york will argue that her civil case against him — alleging he sexaully assaulted her when she was 17 — should be thrown out. millions of pupils across the uk are back to school today — amid concerns about covid—related staff shortages. "a new contract with the british people", sir keir starmer sets out his vision for a labour government. a university drop—out who became a silicon valley success story has been convicted of fraud — for lying about the technology that made her a billionaire. various rail companies are running reduced services as staffing continues to be hit by sickness, covid, and self isolation. the rail delivery group says the latest figures show that nearly 10% of all rail staff are off work, and passengers have been warned of short—notice cancellations. alex hynes is the managing director of scotrail which is introducing a 8% reduction to services today. on a typical day we operate around 2,000 services in scot rail. from today, we are reducing our timetable by about 160 services a day, so that we can improve the reliability of the service. what customers tell us is that it's the reliability that matters most and, therefore, it's important to publish a timetable that customers can depend on. and, you're right, around one in ten of our staff are off sick due to covid, so, we employ 5,000 people. that's 500 people. many of those are train crew and that leads to these operational problems, which we see due to record numbers of covid cases. just yesterday in scotland, 20,000 covid cases, the highest on record. more now on one of our top stories, as millions of pupils across the uk are preparing to return to school, there are concerns that covid infections could cause staff shortages and a return to home learning for some. there are different rules across the uk for students, so, let's have a look at what is required. in scotland, pupils are being asked to test at home before they return to school and then continue to test twice a week. wales is also asking students to carry out a home test before returning, and then continue to test themselves three times a week. in northern ireland, all secondary pupils and staff are being encouraged to do a home test in the 2a hours before they return to school. and in england, all secondary schools have been asked to provide one on—site testing for pupils ahead of their return to the classroom, and then pupils are encouraged to test themselves twice a week. 0ur reporter, jayne mccubbin, has been at a school in stoke—on—trent this morning, where students are coming in early for their lateral flow tests. yeah, good morning from all of us here at birch's head academy and good morning, everybody, where we are with the very first teachers and the very first students who are going to be doing these very first covid tests in this new year, new term, new regime. this is daniel. god bless you, daniel, for agreeing to do this. live on television, ably assisted today by carl, who is normally the data manager, data manager at the school. but today overseeing these covid tests. there we go, daniel. not even a squirm, there. look at that, cool as you like. no problem. is that is that enough, do you think? yeah. how was that? horrible. thank you for doing it on tele for us. it on telly for us. so, this is it. we're going to get the results developing here. i'm going to tape it into this little strip. solutions need to leave it in for a minute, don't we, and it's going to take about 15 minutes to develop while we're waiting, come and chat to the principal. katie dixon. you've been manning the phones this morning. katie, how is it looking? yeah. really good for us. at the minute, only three staff phoned in with covid. so, i mean, obviously not great for them, but it means yeah, last term, very difficult? last term, we had quite a lot of absent students, absence with covid and also staff that made it difficult. but we managed to get staff here were brilliant. they covered lessons and we all merged classes and we made it work. and that's my intention to do that again this term. absolutely. tom quin, who's in charge of the whole academy trust. tom, what is your number one concern and the number one priority? | so our biggest concern is to ensurej that children can stay in classrooms and stay in schools. so our priority is to . ensure that happens. we've been here before and we want to make sure that we can get- professional teachersl and teaching children. we have to find resources and finances to do that. l but we'll do that. we're very experienced at doing that. - we've had 18 months of doing this. teachers have worked really hard across our schools, have went. the extra mile and they'll do it again. j yeah. do you think, though, that with infection rates as they are, you're going to have to juggle with a bit of home learning? what's the expectation? i think it'll be _ different from last time. i wouldn't anticipate that we'd have to spend a whole year group - home, but it may happen. but what we did last time - was we prioritised our gcse groups and our groups andj we'll do that again. but again, our trust. believe in socialjustice through extensive education. so our key aim is to make sure all children are in school. - 0k, good luck with that. i'll be ready with the test results to go over. how's it looking so far? the control's worked. it's all worked. excellent. so the test results are being brought over now. over to barry. how many test results are you going to be looking at through the course of today? about 1,000. there is the school bell. and what you need to find out now is, is that negative? and if it is, it's still processing. it's looking negative initially. and if it is, hopefully the kids can go back to the classroom and carry on some kind of normality. brilliant. 0k, daniel, it's looking good so far, but we'll find out in the next 15 minutes. for now, back to you. the drama of the testing, we all know that moment when you are waiting for that result. it's been announced that more people in the uk are to become eligible for an automatic pardon for historical convictions for same sex — and to have them wiped from their records. the uk government's widening the current scheme, in an amendment to legislation currently going through parliament. our correspondent, matt graveling, is with me now. tell us more about this. joanna, the government — tell us more about this. joanna, the government aren't _ tell us more about this. joanna, the government aren't all _ tell us more about this. joanna, the government aren't all elite - tell us more about this. joanna, the government aren't all elite calling . government aren't all elite calling this a chance to right the wrongs of the past. the wrongs, as they call them, are basically criminalising people for having same—sex relationships. now, this ruined people's lives. you know, historically, there were a number of laws against gay sex and gay relationships. we saw people not justified from theirjobs but also sent to prison. now, when i say it ruined their lives, it wasn'tjust at the time because even when these laws got abolished, people still had them on their criminal records. if they want to apply for a job and they want to apply for a job and they had to declare what was on their criminal record, they would have to say, "i have got this offence". i will tell you a bit more about changes in a moment but firstly i want to play a clip from doctor karl austin being. a former raf veteran and lord mayor of manchester. in 1997, he was serving in the forces when he was asked if he had any homosexual preferences. i realised that i either become true to myself or i lie about it. and i was... ijust burst into tears and i lost myjob straightaway. i was marched off, i was given a police escort and i could have gone to prison, that was back in '97, for six months, just for being gay. and, as i say, you lost everything. within ten minutes, i was marched off the camp, i was given a police escort, kicked out. and, as i say, you know, 1997, it's within our time. i challenged it and i did... i sort of wrote to tony blair, to my mp, to the mod, and it was because i was classed as incompatible to service life, for being a homosexual. what exactly is changing? 25 years on from what _ what exactly is changing? 25 years on from what happened _ what exactly is changing? 25 years on from what happened in - what exactly is changing? 25 years on from what happened in 1997, i what exactly is changing? 25 years | on from what happened in 1997, you can still hear the upset in his voice. this isn't the first changes, joanna. in 2012, people in england and wales had been able to apply to have historical same—sex sexual cautions and sexual conviction is taken off of their records but campaigners said this really only was eligible for a very narrow list of offences. it didn't include everything. and there was also new pardons brought in in 2017 covering offences like conviction of gross indecency. this is a change to government's disregard and pardon scheme. they want to ensure that everyone convicted or cautioned under laws that have since been abolished can have them wiped from their records. b5 abolished can have them wiped from their records.— their records. as you say, it has been a process _ their records. as you say, it has been a process of— their records. as you say, it has been a process of change - their records. as you say, it has been a process of change and i their records. as you say, it has l been a process of change and just listening to the brief part of the interview that we had there, it is a reminder of how recently this was happening to people. why has it taken so long to get to this point? it has been a gradual approach by the government. and, you know, 2012 is when this first came into effect. but then there was another evolution of that in 2017, when they brought in the turing law, for people who could posthumously have their records cleared. even after they died. it was automatically cleared by the government. that was named after alan turing, the wartime code—breaker, who was convicted of gross indecency and homosexual acts. he was pardoned 60 years after his death. fast forward to today to these new changes, as well, which we believe will affect, potentially, hundreds of people from the research that we've done. with new offences to be included, including solicitation by men. that would be something if you are previously convicted of, that would be taken off your record. 0r possibly, not just hundreds of thousands of people if you include people who are going to be pardoned posthumously. ijust want to finish with something that i got sent from the stonewall charity. they campaign for lgbt rights and i spoke to them this morning and they welcomed the news. they said, "countless gay and bisexual men have had their lives and careers turned upside down from the burden of carrying these unjust convictions on their record. while the grave harm this has already caused cannot be undone, the home secretary's decisive action is a huge step towards righting the wrongs of the past and will ensure thousands of people will be able to move forward with their lives with a clean slate". . ., with their lives with a clean slate". ., ,, ,., with their lives with a clean slate". ., ,, y., a second chinese city has gone into a full lockdown in an attempt to stop the spread of the 0micron variant. authorities in yuzhou have told people to stay in their homes, nearly all vehicles are banned from the roads and all businesses apart from supermarkets are closed. it comes less than two weeks after the city of she—ann was locked after the city of xi'an was locked down after a much larger outbreak. around 13 million people there are in lockdown as china continues to pursue a zero covid strategy, to stamp out the virus. 0ur china correspondent robin brant has more on the new restrictions in youhou. the contrast of what life is like in a handful of cities across china today could not be more stark in xi—an, home to 13 million people, they are two weeks into a lockdown. people cannot leave their homes. there are reports of bartering going on, people exchanging cigarettes for food, other things for sanitary products. and that's not going to change until the number of covid cases a bit closer to where i am in the last 2a hours, a similar lockdown. people can't leave their houses. almost all vehicles are not allowed on the streets. and that's after they discovered just three asymptomatic cases. now here in shanghai, it's a very different story. this is what most of china is like. it's business as usual. yes, you have to have a mask on. yes, you have to have a mask on, when you get on the metro, you have your temperature taken. but the government says its zero covid strategy has achieved this for the last 18 months. and that's a strategy that now includes things like this, a pop up booster vaccination tent. you can win prizes, as well. but it also includes very harsh measures that can be imposed on a city in a matter of hours. and that's what we're seeing in yuzhou. now, as the winter olympic games in beijing approach and also chinese new year, the mass migration of millions of people here, there is absolutely no evidence that china's government is going to change its mind. it remains committed to this zero—covid strategy for the foreseeable future. a day of critical court hearings for prince andrew and virginia guiffre — his lawyers in new york will argue that her civil case against him — alleging he sexaully assaulted her when she was 17 — should be thrown out. millions of pupils across the uk are back to school today — amid concerns about covid—related staff shortages. "a new contract with the british people", sir keir starmer sets out his vision for a labour government. david bowie's estate has sold the singer's entire catalogue of songs to the warner music group. the amount hasn't been disclosed but is reported to be more than £185 million, as our arts correspondent, david sillito, reports. # there's a star man waiting in the sky...# playing six years after his death, the sale of david bowie's music catalogue is just the latest in a series of huge deals involving the giants of the golden age of rock and pop. # this is major tom to ground control... in an era in which 60,000 songs are uploaded to streaming services every day, the value of tunes that are instantly recognisable to millions of people, and continue to be loved and listened to, gives them an almost guaranteed value in a risky industry. bob dylan, for instance, was reported to have sold his catalogue. sold his catalogue for more than $300 million. forartists, it's a huge risk—free payday in an industry which has seen many ups and downs with the decline of cds and more recently, the pandemic bringing touring to a halt. it also means artists, or theirfamilies, can hand over the increasingly complex job of navigating licensing deals for streaming films, video games and online video. # the winner takes it all...# but more than anything, it's a testimony to the extraordinary power of a generation of artists from the 60s and 70s. end—of—year figures released from the music trade body, the bpi, show abba, queen and eltonjohn all still in the top ten for album sales in 2021. # if i could, baby, - i i'd give you my world.# vinyl album ahead of ed sheeran? fleetwood mac's rumours, which came out more than a0 years ago. david sillitoe, bbc news. joining me now is the musician and bbc radio 6 music presenter, matt everitt. as we were hearing, it's not the first back catalogue to be sold for a huge sum of money, what's it worth, though, to the music company? it's an enormous asset to have for any company to own the publishing rights and music rights to such an incredible back catalogue from one of the most influential and greatest artists of all time. and the financial is colossal, as well, as david was explaining. these aren't songs that are going to be fashionable for a few years, they will be fashionable for generation after generation. they have real tangible worth. david bowie is in the first person to have done this, as you had. bruce springsteen and bob dylan have done similar things. it is a big dealfor the music industry —— as you heard. in terms of what it would generate year on year, what sort of sums would that be? , ., , , ., , year, what sort of sums would that be? ,., _ year, what sort of sums would that be? ,., ,, year, what sort of sums would that be? , , year, what sort of sums would that be? , be? obviously, as you say, he is one ofthe be? obviously, as you say, he is one of the absolute _ be? obviously, as you say, he is one of the absolute greats _ be? obviously, as you say, he is one of the absolute greats in _ be? obviously, as you say, he is one of the absolute greats in the - be? obviously, as you say, he is one of the absolute greats in the number of the absolute greats in the number of plays will be huge. but it is well known that streaming doesn't generate huge amounts of revenue, it is really like performing that does. well, this depends. i mean, now, the rights to music outjust in terms of album sales or streams. getting your music on an advert, tv commercial, advert campaign, tv show, on a film, all these things are enormously important to the value of the songs. they also keep the relevance of an artist for generation after generation. ac/dc were loosed a lot in the marvel films for the iron man movies which introduced a whole generation into a band they might never have heard of. it increase the profile for that bad for years. what is interesting is that normally, david bowie would be the first person to do many things, theatrical staging —— profile for that band. he broke new ground. even the first person but in 1997, he issued bowie bonds? like you would issue bonds for commodities, he issued over ten years a series of bonds for investors to invest in the work of his songs. that lasted for about ten years. he was kind of the first person to look at the songs of... as intellectual property, which is what songs are. and see them as something financially viable on the stock market. he was there first, even if he wasn't their first this time. also interesting to think about the fact that it would have been david bowie's 75th birthday on the 8th of january, just coming up. bowie mp bowie state are people that understand the importance of timing. and kind of... —— and the bowie estate. controlling the negative. —— controlling narrative. it is no coincidence. he knew what he was doing! in coincidence. he knew what he was doinu! , ., coincidence. he knew what he was doinu! ,., coincidence. he knew what he was doin.! , ., , ., doing! in terms of cashing in on this new asset _ doing! in terms of cashing in on this new asset that _ doing! in terms of cashing in on this new asset that they - doing! in terms of cashing in on this new asset that they have i doing! in terms of cashing in on i this new asset that they have got, you mentioned about getting the music played in films, ads, would you expect to see suddenly us hearing bowie... isay you expect to see suddenly us hearing bowie... i say a different pronunciation. yes, it is a debate. would you expect to see more of a push on his music, in terms of, you know, the different areas, perhaps? yes and no. 0n know, the different areas, perhaps? yes and no. on one hand, they want to keep getting that music out there. people have to keep discovering david bowie that have never heard of him. one of the reasons his family and estate would have done this is that they know, at the same applies to people like neil young or fleetwood mac who have done a similarthing, young or fleetwood mac who have done a similar thing, they want these songs to be looked after. they want them to be carefully placed on the right adverts in the right films. you won't suddenly start seeing space oddity appearing in an advert for a fast food chain, that won't happen. the family will have done a deal where the money they get, the upside is knowing that these songs will be used properly on the right movies, the right commercials. there won't be thousands of a wash of terrible greatest hits albums. they will be looked after and that is part of the deal. knowing these artists wishes' will have reflected what happened to these songs in the future. they are looking after the legacy as well as getting an absolutely massive chunk of cash. how deep are the pockets of these businesses, buying up these back catalogues? presumably, they will be, you know, relatively limited number of artists who they will want to back catalogues. there will be others looking at this thinking, yeah, maybe this is what we will do now. , ., ., , ., now. there is a growing number of companies- _ now. there is a growing number of companies- a _ now. there is a growing number of companies. a company _ now. there is a growing number of companies. a company called - now. there is a growing number of- companies. a company called hypnosis buying up neil young and fleetwood mac and blondie. a lot of these artists are getting older. they don't necessarily want the hassle and stress of dealing with publishing and the rights and the legal hassle that surrounds getting a song on an advert or overseeing a new package or compilation. by passing it over, to whoever, they are taking the stress of the estate's hands. it is like you don't necessarily want that. maybe also you have kids or grandkids or great grand who all have a little part of this artist's back catalogue. because of their parents passed away or whatever. this takes that hassle away and you get a lump sum and everyone gets a bit of it and you don't get one person in the family saying this shouldn't be used in an advert for dishcloths and some are now saying it should. 0ne advert for dishcloths and some are now saying it should. one person controls the whole thing and they can get a much leaner and simpler way of doing things.— way of doing things. thank you. let's way of doing things. thank you. let's leave _ way of doing things. thank you. let's leave it _ way of doing things. thank you. let's leave it in _ way of doing things. thank you. let's leave it in the _ way of doing things. thank you. let's leave it in the hands - way of doing things. thank you. let's leave it in the hands of. let's leave it in the hands of martin coming up would the one o'clock news, have a good afternoon. cash martin. it is not time for me to go! no, i'm going to talk about... a body representing uk record labels says streaming now accounts for 83% of music consumption. the bpi says there were four weeks last year when there were more than three billion streams. it says adele's latest album was the best—selling album in the uk last year — followed by ed sheeran — who also hundreds of thousands of americans lost electricity, government offices and schools closed, and flights were cancelled, as winter storms engulfed the us southeast and mid—atlantic states. mark lobel reports. one of america's most famous memorials, nestled in the seat of us power. now a winter wonderland. heavy snowfall that left over 200,000 without power in northern virginia. in delaware, a snow blanket meant treacherous conditions for cars. as the storm landed, hundreds of flights were cancelled and passengers delayed. no exception, it seems, for the president either, asjoe biden was stuck on air force one for a while before braving wild winds, having to improvise with a different type of facemask. as the white house, well, got whiter, the surrounding area soon got chillier. we did not prepare for this, however, we were not supposed to be in dc, originally. yeah, that's why we don't have the right clothes! and everything's closed around here to buy anything. yeah. with government offices and schools temporarily shut down, spirits briefly lifted along washington's national mall. and close by at the smithsonian's national zoo, where these giant national zoo, where these giant panda cubs warmly embraced it, too. nasty! following this snowstorm, wintry weather is expected to continue. freezing caused by low temperatures may cause further disruption. with some more snow predicted for later this week. mark lobel, bbc news. really is time for me to bow out now. in a moment, it will be time for the bbc news at one with martine croxall. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello, again. at last it feels like january although with some strong winds and heavy snow showers, as you can just about see from the view in aberdeen airport earlier, it is coming with a few problems, particular north of scotland. severe gales meant to continue through the rest of the day and snow showers packing its way in, five centimetres or more in some areas and cold air feeding south with further snow flurries in northern ireland and parts of wales and the south west, the early rain in the west clearing away. what a difference to what some of you went to work in, these are the temperatures at 6pm. factor in the wind. eight or 9 degrees this morning for the morning commute in the south—east corner and for the journey home it will feel like —1. feeling even colder with the strongest of the winds in northern parts of scotland. the snow showers continue to pack in with the winds are baiting a bit. further snow flurries in the west of the country and ice in places. temperatures are widely falling to freezing or below to take us into tomorrow morning. the strength of the wind will drop not falling to much lower than that. the wind won't be as from tomorrow. some snow flurries in the north of scotland, some in northern ireland and wales and the south—west. a greater chance of rain showers along the east coast of england. for the vast majority, tomorrow, like we finish this afternoon, dry and sunny. it is cold. not as windy, not with the same wind chill. lighter winds and clearer skies taking us into wednesday night, thursday morning will be much colder. it could be as low as —62 —9 under this ridge of high pressure. it will eventually give way on thursday 2—6 2-9. eventually give way on thursday 2—6 2—9. even low levels of scotland in the high ground of wales. covering of snow. turning back to rain as the weather front pushes east. never quite reaching the east anglia until later. sunny spells and heavy showers develop towards the west later. even though temperatures left temporarily by the end of the afternoon, it will feel cooler particularly across eastern areas. colder night to take us into friday. friday back to sunshine and showers although they are wintering in the north and. —— and west. goodbye for now. pupils across the uk head back to school this week amid concerns about staff shortages and remote learning. secondary school students in england will have to take tests on—site before they return as headteachers worry about covering staff sickness. it's an ever shrinking supply situation. we need to have high quality professional teachers in front of children to give them excellent education, and they aren't out there. as the vaccines push continues, one leading scientist expresses cautious optimism that the infection rate in london may have reached a plateau. also this lunchtime. prince andrew's lawyers are to ask a us court to dismiss a civil sexual assault case brought by virginia giuffre. elizabeth holmes, a former american billionaire, is found guilty of fraud over blood testing technology that didn't work.